A total lunar eclipse will be visible across North America including Chicago later this week, according to an announcement from the Adler Planetarium.
Weather permitting, the celestial show will start late Thursday, with the total eclipse — when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow — lasting from 1:26 a.m. to 2:31 a.m. Friday. During that time, the moon will still be visible but will appear to turn a rusty reddish color, a phenomenon known as a “blood moon.” This will be the first time this has happened here since 2022.
Here’s the full schedule of expected events, with all times in central time:
Penumbral eclipse begins at 10:57 p.m. March 13: The moon begins to pass through the shadow cast by the Earth from the light of the sun. (At other times, the moon is illuminated directly by the sun, with its phases, or apparent shapes, corresponding with how much of that sunlit part we can see from where we are.) “The penumbra is the lighter, outer part of the Earth’s shadow,” according to the Adler. “When the moon passes through this part of the shadow, it can appear a bit more tan in color.”
Partial eclipse begins at 12:09 a.m. March 14: The moon begins to pass fully into the Earth’s shadow and will appear to have a bite taken out of it. A lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar eclipse, and unlike a solar eclipse, they’re safe to look at directly with the human eye.
Total eclipse lasts from 1:26 a.m. to 2:31 a.m. March 14: The only sunlight to illuminate the moon during totality will first be filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere, taking out blue light and giving the moon the same reddish color that can be visible during sunsets. “Totality occurs when the Moon is fully within the darker part of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra,” said the Adler, in part. “Think of a lunar eclipse as showing you the color of the collective sunrises and sunsets around the entire Earth.”
Partial eclipse ends at 3:47 a.m., and the penumbral eclipse ends at 5 a.m. March 14.
Weather permitting, the planetarium will be hosting a special edition of its “Sky Observer’s Hangout” YouTube show from the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale; more at www.adlerplanetarium.org
dgeorge@chicagotribune.com
